A Field Trip Home
by The-Random-Phan
Summary: Peter is excited about his latest field trip, really, he is! They're going to Avengers Tower and he just can't wait to get to see more of the building! Now if only he can keep it from Tony...
1. A Peek Into The Penthouse

**A/N:**

**Hiya everyone! I'm glad you're interested! In this universe, Tony and Pepper adopted Peter. If you want a bit more on that you could read my story Grief. You absolutely don't have to if you don't want to, it's just kind of a prequel that I wrote to be a basis for future stories so I don't have to re-write the same events each time.**

**Enjoy the story!**

* * *

Peter caught his head as it almost hit his desk. He was nodding off again. He knew he needed to listen but sleep just sounded _so good._ His eyelids were heavy and the worst part was that he knew it would all go away during his next class. It was so weird, this wasn't even his homeroom or first period. No, he'd been perfectly fine then. It was just in Pre-Calc that his body wanted to conk out. Maybe it was the teacher's droning voice. But it was still horrible. And his grade would surely suffer later.

The bell rang and Peter thanked god that he was going to be able to wake up next period. He hated things that didn't make sense, but at least he knew how it would go.

Everyone leapt from their seats and Peter darted in an effort to not be caught up in the crowd. Suddenly he was able to keep his eyes open and just shook his head. In his mind, of course. That would be weird. He also pulled out his phone and checked to see if he'd gotten any texts. There was one from Ned, oddly. The only time he usually pulled his phone out was during lunch. Otherwise, he kept it shut down so it wouldn't go off in class.

'Were doin something awesome 4 science!'

Now he was curious. Curse Ned. At least that was his next class. What would Ned be excited about? Maybe they had a cool lab coming up or something. Ned hated when they did chem- so engineering?

Peter walked into the lab and immediately his gaze was drawn to the boards in front. Usually, the teacher had instructions written, like if they needed to pick up a worksheet or something else. Instead, there were only a few words.

'Field Trip.' It said.

The teen smiled as he took his seat. Of course, Ned would be excited, who wouldn't be excited about a field trip? He might've been a nerd but peter still enjoyed free days off of school. Exhaustion forgotten, the teen pocketed his phone and sat at his assigned seat.

The room was one of the smaller labs. There were two doors on either side of the room, and set onto the wall between them was a Smartboard. The teacher's desk was in front of that and then there were the student desks. They were that kind which was the bane of lefties everywhere, and the chair was attached. It'd really bothered him after they had the separate desks all middle school. But it was only a week into freshman year and he'd gotten used to it.

The bell rang again and people wandered to their desks and put phones away. Ms Hoyle, the teacher, wandered in as well. She was wearing heels, paired with a black-grey business skirt, white blouse, and a bunch of necklaces. What was it with teachers always looking so formal? It was weird when half the students were wearing sweatshirts and jeans.

"I'm not going to waste time, so I'll get right to the point. I'm sure you all looked at the board. The trip will be on Friday, March 13th, and we'll be going on a tour of Stark Industries." She was smiling widely, beaming. Peter actually grinned at that. The trip was gonna be awesome! Sure, he lived with Tony and Pepper but he never really got to see much of the company. It seemed that they'd both decided long ago that business was left at the door when they walked into the apartment.

But Ned was totally right! The trip was gonna be awesome!

Peter walked into the lobby and started right for the private elevator that only he and a few others could use. He scanned his security badge at one of the scanners before going past the escalator. When he'd first moved in, he'd stared in awe at the lobby every time. It was still a cool sight, what with the modern design and the oversized 'Stark' emblazoned into the wall. But right now he just wanted to get upstairs. And it was all because of the permission slip jammed into the pocket of his jeans.

There was no way he was gonna tell Tony about it. The man would tease him endlessly and was sure to hijack the trip at some point. No, he was gonna go straight to Pepper, get her to sign it, and then forget about the trip for another week. He was still excited but if he even gave one hint that he was hiding something Tony would find out. Not to mention Steve, Bruce, Bucky Sam, Natasha and Clint. Tony would rope them into embarrassing him and it'd all go downhill from there.

Peter stepped out onto the floor and made a beeline for the kitchen. He was always _starving_ after school. He grabbed some stuff and made a sandwich before darting to his bedroom. The penthouse was quite spacious, but some things had been changed around since Pepper and then Peter moved in. There was a much more domestic feel to the floor, with rugs and side tables and a super comfy couch. Blinds had been put in place over the huge windows and overall it felt a lot less… hollow. Especially with 'family' pictures on the wall, ranging from a picture of Peter at one of his Decathlon matches to Tony holding a finger up to the camera as he tried to manipulate the hand of a certain sleeping super soldier into a bowl of warm water. Steve had woken up, of course, and darted from the couch.

Peter chuckled to himself at the memory as he lugged his book bag to his room. It was one with wheels on it, and while that made it heavier it also made it easier to drag on tiles and the such.

The teen's own room had hardwood floors. Walking in the door, straight ahead was his queen-sized bed. The comforter was Star Wars-themed, and image of the Death Star exploding in the vast reaches of space. In fact, the whole room was star wars and space themed. Except for a few of the posters, that is. They ranged from cult classics like Jurassic Park to perhaps even more well-known series' like Harry Potter. At the right wall, where the bed was facing, was a huge TV. Right now it was blank, but if the sheer number of game systems nearby had anything to say about it, the screen was used quite often. A coffee table, rug, and leather couch sat in front of it. The space was really comfy looking, with navy blue and red consisting of the main themes. Peter hadn't even noticed the colours matched his suit until Tony asked him some sly question about it. Also scattered around were a bookshelf and a computer desk with an awfully expensive-looking chair. It'd been a Christmas present, of course. Peter usually tried his best to keep Tony from having to buy him much. Though the billionaire still insisted on giving him an 'allowance' which the teen was sure would've been more than it was if Pepper hadn't stepped in. Speaking of Pepper...


	2. The Square-al Office

Peter's steps were muffled on the oriental rug as he started down the hall. He could see the doors to quite a few different rooms, though there weren't _that_ many. They weren't so numerous that you would get lost looking for a bathroom. In fact, Peter had been able to memorize which door was to each room after only a few days living there. In fact, right now he was headed for Pepper's office. The overachiever she was, she often finished up work in her 'home office' after clocking out of her public office. She had way too many offices.

For a second Peter thought about calling out for Pepper but decided to knock instead in case she was on the phone. He rapt on the door and barely a few seconds later a voice came from inside.

"Come in," He heard the honeyed voice and entered. Pepper was sitting at her desk in the comfier clothes she changed into after coming to the penthouse after work. She smiled as he walked in and plopped down at one of the comfy chairs scattered around the space.

The room was actually pretty small, and it was surprising to see how many cozy things had been crammed into it. Oak slatted shades were pulled vertically across the floor-to-ceiling windows behind Pepper, and the room was lit entirely by golden bulbs which cast a glow to all the warm hues. The lamps were sitting on wood side-tables on the end of the sofa as well as one sitting on the dark wooden desk. In fact, there were things all over the desk. But despite the clutter, it still had an organized feel to it, much like Pepper herself. The floor here was actually carpet, much unlike the rest of the rooms. Even though that hadn't stopped Pepper from putting an area rug underneath her desk. In fact, the only non-plush flooring was beneath her rolling chair. Overall it was quite homely and made Peter want to curl up on the seat with a blanket and a good comic or movie.

"How's your day been?" The teen asked as he pulled his sock-clad feet up onto the couch and curled himself into the blanket that had been sitting on it. The fluffy embrace was so inviting, it made him want to fall asleep right there.

Pepper sighed and sank into her own seat.

"Stressful, but I got a lot done. How about you?" She had certainly had a long day if the bags under her eyes had anything to say. But they were light and would be gone with an hour or two nap. Nothing like the haunted faces of the students at school.

"We have a field trip coming up." He smiled and pulled the slip out of his jeans pocket. He had to reach and Pepper had to stand up but he managed to hand it to her. Her eyes scanned over the paper and she nodded to herself slightly, paired with a sigh.

"I can see why you came to me and not Tony." She smiled ruefully, meanwhile fishing for a pen from the holder sitting on the desk surface.

"If he knew my class was coming here I don't even want to know what he would do. And frankly, I'd rather not find out." They each nodded knowingly and Pepper signed her name on the dotted line. She didn't hand it back though and instead read through a bit more of the info. Peter had read it himself a few times, and mostly it was just stuff like dates and a synopsis of what they might see on the tour.

"I can only imagine he'd show them some of your projects and make sure they know if they cross you he'll hunt them down."

"Well, that's only to be expected." Pepper handed the slip back and Peter deposited it back into his pocket.

"What's only to be expected?" Tony showed up, standing in the doorway. He was wearing a collection of motor grease, a Led Zeppelin t-shirt and a pair of black jeans. His hair was a mess and it obviously seemed like he needed a shower. So overall just usual Tony.

"How much of a pain you are." Pepper covered. Tony feigned insult and sat down on the couch next to Peter, stealing some of the blanket.

"Ew, you're gross." Peter scrunched his nose at the smell and relocated to a different couch. This one had a quilt draped over it. Tony just stuck his tongue out at the teen.

"Oh well, nothing new. Who's hungry?"

"Is that the only reason you came upstairs?" Pepper deadpanned.

"Not the only reason, but mostly. You _know_ I love ya, Pep." The engineer shot her a side-ways, lovey-dovey look.

"I don't know how I wouldn't know." Pepper patted her stomach lightly, where a forming baby bump could be seen. Peter coughed at the insinuation, catching the attention of the two 'adults.'

"Did someone mention food?" He grinned.

* * *

**A/N:**

**I've read quite a few other fics that have Peter moving in with Tony and whoever they chose to ship him with. But it seems that Pepper is usually just kinda shifted off to the side for the sake of appeasing the canon. So I tried to give her and Peter a bit more of a relationship than I've seen. ^u^**

**I definitely won't be updating every day, but I'll try to keep it up! I've got a story outline and mostly it'll be fluff and the Starks having to deal with idiots. But it's always like that, isn't it? I'll also try to include the other Avengers sometime!**

**Thank you for all of the favourites and follows! It's probably the most I've gotten in the shortest amount of time! Please take a chance to write a review and maybe leave some ideas, the story isn't set in stone and I'd love to hear a few suggestions about what Peter and company should see on their tour!**

**Have a good day!**


	3. Don't Mix Starks and Shopping

Pizza was ordered and soon the three found themselves in the living room, each holding a plate and setting a drink on the wooden coffee table or side tables. Pepper claimed the recliner while Peter and Tony plopped themselves down on the leather couch.

"What movie?" Peter asked, first slice of pizza already halfway to his mouth. Tony was surfing through Netflix and Pepper was watching the recommendation that whizzed by.

"I'm feeling a comedy, that sound good?" There were two sounds of confirmation and Tony entered '6548' into the search bar. He scrolled for a minute until Pepper spoke up.

"How about that Paul Blart Mall Cop movie?"

"Yeah!" Peter agreed, eyes flashing to screen with a shine in his eye. He always loved the family movies, unlike how a lot of other kids his age wanted to watch the more raunchier ones. But Tony was glad to hold onto the teen's innocence for as long as he could. The kid was adorable.

Tony sighed but clicked on it anyways. It sounded stupid, but he ended up enjoying it. And the daughter reminded him a bit of Peter. That thought stuck out to Tony, and it made him realize something he hadn't thought of before.

By all means, he was Peter's parent. Both legally -he'd adopted the teen after his aunt's death- and emotionally. He loved him, provided for him, and would murder anyone who dared to touch a hair on his head. He was already a father in every way except for name. But maybe he could change that. Besides, it'd be weird for their next kid if Peter still calling him by his first name. It'd only confuse the poor kid!

So Tony smiled to himself at the kid sitting next to him in desperate need of a napkin to save him from the pizza sauce all over his face.

* * *

Not much happened the next week. Pepper cooked one night, making some spaghetti, and Tony _attempted_ the next night, but everyone was sure he had used sugar instead of salt no matter how vehemently he denied it. Needless to say, they had ordered dinner that night. After that was Peter's turn, and he kept it simple and to his abilities with some macaroni, curly fries, and chicken nuggets.

Today was Thursday, tomorrow was Peter's field trip. Not that Tony knew that. Everyone at school had been asking Ms Hoyle for more details all week. She answered a few, such as how long the drive was -only 10 or so minutes, with traffic- and how many people were going -just the honours science classes. Which were only two periods; Peter and Ned's. Michelle wasn't in either of them though, so she wasn't going. But she stayed her indifferent self and didn't really mind.

Today was something different though. When Peter walked in, he saw Pepper sitting on the couch. Tony was nowhere to be seen, probably in the workshop. He certainly spent less time there than before Peter had moved in, but the mechanic still worked most of the week.

"Hey, Peter." Pepper greeted with a small smile. The teen dumped his bag beside the couch and kicked his shoes off under the coffee table. The TV was playing something in the background, some house renovation show. There were so many of them Peter couldn't keep track.

"Heya, how's your day been?" He sank into the cushions and pulled a blanket from the end over himself. Pepper already had one draped over her lap.

"Pretty good, I was wondering if you wanted to go shopping with me. I want to have some more clothes for when the baby comes."

"Don't we have enough supplies?" Peter exasperated. Sure, he loved to be prepared, but the designated nursery was already chock full of stuff. They'd already had a baby shower, and with Steve, Clint, Laura -Clint's wife,- Natasha, Thor, Sam, Rhodey, Bucky, Vision, _and_ Wanda they'd gotten plenty of things. Though admittedly, most of it was toys and not needs.

"We need actual _supplies_, not toys and decorations. Not to say I don't appreciate it but they're going to be spoiled."

"Of course they are, they're gonna have like 6 godfathers, all of which are huge softies." Peter smiled at the memory of the _Avengers_ going all gaga over an ultrasound picture and baby toys. He grinned, even more, when he imagined them holding a baby in a little over a month and a half. He was going to take _so_ many pictures.

"I'd love to go though."

* * *

So that was how Peter, Tony, and Pepper found themselves wandering around a baby store at a nearby mall. Peter and Pepper had managed to get Tony to come along, though making him get a shower first was the hard part. He was always open to getting more things for people he cared about, born yet or not. It didn't take long for them to get there, though. The store was full of baby clothes, all absolutely adorable and drawing Peter's attention. Mostly the place was divided into boy and girl's clothes, so the trio found themselves wandering between. Pepper had decided to wait until the baby was born to find out the gender. They were all dying to know, but the matriarch held strong in her decision. Tony thought it'd be a boy, Pepper a girl, and Peter just hoped they'd be healthy.

"How about this?" Peter held up a onesie for Pepper's inspection. It was a soft grey and said 'Eat, Sleep, Snuggle, Repeat.'

"Aww," Pepper cooed and Peter put it in the cart before darting off to look somewhere else. There were so many different colours coating the walls and everything was so _cute._ It was a cuteness overload. All the little clothes, and shoes, and sunglasses, Peter wanted it _all. _Somehow it seemed like Tony had beat him to it. Both of them were carrying sizeable hauls, piled high with knick-knacks ranging from even more onesies to a diaper bag, but Peter's was a bit wilder. He hadn't stuck just to greys and tans as Tony had. His arms were piled high with this and that, ranging from even more onesies to a diaper bag. Pepper was right, the little munchkin was going to be absolutely rotten.

"Boys." Pepper scolded, hand on her hip. The cart next to her had a few clothes -ranging in sizes between newborn and six months- but mostly it was filled with diapers, bottles, and formula.

"We already have plenty of clothes."

"But they're cute!" Tony countered, going to dump it all in the cart.

"It's all so adorable, I couldn't choose!" He shot Pepper his puppy dog eyes but she didn't relent. Pepper levelled them both with a glare and Tony sighed in defeat.

"Why do you have to be my conscience?" He complained.

"Because you hired me for it and I just never left."

"Well, I don't want you to." He stuck his tongue out at her before going to put the things away.

It only took a few minutes to put everything back, though it felt like forever. The pair had gone all over the store. It was a wonder they hadn't bumped into each other in their sprees.

"I don't want to put it all back." Pouted as he glanced at the monkey footie pyjamas he had put back in their place.

"I don't want to either, but whatever Pepper says goes." The engineer muttered and relinquished his last item.

* * *

Next, the trio headed for the food court, spurred by Peter's growling stomach. Though that was nothing odd. Tony had been delegated by Pepper to carry the abysmally few bags they had accumulated, but Peter carried a couple too. Despite how few things he'd chosen, Tony had fun shopping with his little family. The crowds were a bit much but he handled. The biggest task was the food court, but once they picked a corner away from most people it was alright. Had it been a few years ago, there was no way anyone would've been able to get Tony Stark to even step foot in a mall. But Peter had broken him of that habit so fast it'd given Tony whiplash, all starting with the time the boy had asked to go to a 'thrift store.'

Peter was being his sweet self again and asked Pepper what she wanted to eat. Mrs Stark -Tony _still_ loved calling her that- only shrugged and Peter suggested Chinese. They all agreed and Peter even offered to go get it for all of them. Tony knew better than to just let him do that -it'd make him feel lazy- and leapt up to go with the teen.

"Why are you coming?" He asked -politely, of course- screwing his face up in that questioning way of his.

"Because I don't want you wandering around alone."

"It's not like someone's gonna try to kidnap me in the middle of the mall."

"Who knows? And you're _my_ kid now. I care about you, Pete." It felt good to say that. He wasn't all that worried anything would happen to Peter. But it also felt nice to let the kid know he cared about him. It felt like he hadn't done that enough lately. Tony still wasn't all that big on feelings, but he was getting better at it. And living with a teen for a year had given him a crash course, even if that teen was as sweet as Peter. He was still a kid, and it'd been a tough awakening when Tony welcomed the still-grieving Parker into his home a year ago and hadn't known how to help him. Though it had helped him a little when Pepper suggested he take Tony's last name. Peter was still a bit of a fan-boy, at the time. But Peter Parker-Stark had come a long way since then. It still made Tony smile to think of.

"Well, _your kid_ really wants some lo mein. Let's get in line!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**Just some fluff this chapter, next up is the field trip!**


	4. Shop til You- They Already Dropped

What seemed like _years_ later the trio dropped onto the couch. Bags were piled up all around them, from a series of both baby and toy stores. But they were a lot more prepared, and as long as pepper was happy, so were Tony and Peter. The latter of whom had already passed out, snoring into the cushions.

"Well, I think that was a successful shopping trip." Pepper sighed, kicking off her shoes.

"A little too successful if you ask me." Tony snorted, taking in the wreckage that was scattered around. At least five bags of ranging sizes were lying at Tony's feet, though Peter had taken most of the hall to save all three of them from a second trip. Their driver had been pleased as well. Happy didn't drive Tony around anymore since he'd been promoted to head of security, and none of them knew the new guy -Kyle- very well yet. He was younger, and he and Peter got along well enough.

"You're the one who acted like a kid in a candy store." She replied, sending an amused grin Tony's way.

"No, that was Peter." Tony smiled at the sleeping kid draped across the arm of the couch. Indeed, there was a small bag of candy in his hand. Mostly chocolate. Closing one eye for aim, Tony launched a pillow at the kid's head.

Peter's hand shot into the air and he caught the pillow just as it was about to sail straight over her head. What could he say, usually tony's suit aimed for him.

"Not asleep," Peter grumbled, voice low and gruff. He was obviously tired. And if the double digits on the clock said anything, it was bedtime.

"Well, what d'you say we handle all this after Peter gets home from school?"

"Sounds good to me. I need a shower." Pepper gave a weary wave in her wake as she left. Shopping was exhausting for anyone, especially if they were almost eight months pregnant. Even Tony was feeling the fatigue.

"Up, underoos." Tony's joints ached as he got up from the couch. Dang, he really was getting old.

Peter only groaned, rolling over on the couch. His head was jammed against the armrest. His limbs were splayed wildly, one leg crammed in the crack between the cushions and one arm scraping the floor while the other covered his eyes. It was by no means a comfortable position.

"C'mon. You'll sleep a lot better in bed." The mechanic grabbed Peter's arm and hauled the teen to his feet. Peter protested weakly but allowed Tony to throw an arm over his shoulders and guide them down the hall. Tony let Peter go on his own after they got to his room, and Peter didn't even kick his shoes off before literally face-planting in bed. Tony rolled his eyes and set off to his own bed after closing the kid's door.

A few minutes after Tony had left, Peter forced himself up onto his dying feet. Though he pushed his shoes off first. He had to get his book bag ready for the field trip because he was definitely not going to have time for it in the morning. Really it meant dropping all of his textbooks, but it needed to be done. They each weighed a ton, and Peter wondered how anyone else managed to carry their bags if even he had a hard time. Although he doubted that few other than himself were in all honours. Or two math classes.

But tomorrow was a break from all that, and Peter was kind of excited. It would be a bit weird to walk around the building he lived in with his classmates, but maybe it'd be a bit comforting, to know that his home was just a few floors above their heads. Or horrifying. He'd decide that tomorrow.

The books were placed in a drawer of Peter's desk- away from view if Tony happened to glance in and wonder why his books weren't at school. So now all that was in Peter's bag was his lunch, a ball cap, his phone charger, earbuds, his science notebook, spidey suit, and a jacket. The notebook was to take notes since there was going to be a quiz on what they were going to see. The teen picked out an outfit as well. It was comprised of blue jeans, a faded red t-shirt and his socks. Pretty plain, all in all.

Peter didn't bother changing into PJs and curled up under his comforter to sleep. He faded off without a single dream, practically passed out.

Peter wanted to punch his alarm clock. Really, it was so tempting to send the thing flying to the _moon. _Which was still in the sky, ridiculously. Why was it that school _still_ started so early? Study after study has shown that teenagers need more sleep, but the education system didn't seem to care. It wasn't even seven yet, and Peter was already off schedule. Not that he usually kept to it anyways.

With a sneer the teen practically slid out of his bed, stumbling to his connected bathroom and trying to find his balance. His breath was horrible, so first off Peter brushed his teeth. There was still crust in his eyes so he wiped it away as his brushed. Taking a glance at his phone he must've picked up at some point, Peter started rushing. He only had a few minutes before he had to go get the bus. The teen's brush barely skimmed his head and he was sprinting out the door with both shoes still untied.

Peter took a moment to tie his shoes in the elevator and tapped his foot impatiently. He was already running it close, and could only hope that his bus would be late. With a ding, Peter rushed out into the lobby and almost skidded into someone going into work. The guy just watched bewilderedly as a teenager rushed past.

Peter shoved the door open and set off down the sidewalk at a dead-out sprint. He almost bumped into a few people but managed to avoid them thanks to his senses. There was a flash of yellow just as Peter rounded the corner and the teen sighed in relief as it pulled up to the curb at his feet. His heart was still hammering against his ribs as Peter greeted the bus driver. She somehow didn't look completely exhausted, and Peter wondered how she did it as he sat down in an empty seat. It was practically a godsend to find one on the bus, as cramped as it was. Later Peter had to share his solitude and moved his bag onto his lap in the dim lights.


	5. To the Busses!

Peter walked into school 15 minutes before they were even allowed to go to their lockers. It was really ridiculous that his bus had to get there so early, but they did have to drop off middle schoolers as well. Why school still started so early, Peter would never know. The teen put in his earbuds and pulled out a book he had to read for a project. Rock played in Peter's ears and he smiled faintly. Tony had messed with his playlist. Of course.

Ten minutes later, Peter looked up from his book to see that Ned and MJ had sat down. Everyone was gathered in the cafeteria, so the three of them just sat at the same table as at lunch. It had become a routine only two days into the ninth grade for himself and Ned, then MJ had roped herself into it.

"Good morning," Peter greeted, taking out his earbuds and putting them in his bag. He tried his best to keep the cords untangled, but anyone would bet they'd be a rat's nest next time Peter pulled them out.

"What's good about it?" Ned groaned, smacking his head on the table.

"Ow, that was a bad idea." He didn't raise his head, though.

"Of course it was a bad idea, you just slammed your head into a table, loser." Michelle shot him a look, with one eyebrow raised as if questioning and a smirk on her face.

"What's so bad about it?" Peter honestly had no idea what could be up, besides the looming field trip he couldn't think of anything. Though the field trip was pretty much the only thing he'd thought about since packing the night before.

"I was playing Minecraft this morning and I knocked my drink onto my laptop. Blue screen of death." Ned retold, head still buried in his arms and voice being muffled by the table. Only now, Peter noticed how disgruntled ned seemed. There was an almost-invisible stain on his green plaid overshirt, and the t-shirt under it was wrinkled horribly. The only thing that looked neat was the hat, but there wasn't really a way to mess that up.

"Oooh, that is bad. Sorry dude." Peter patted Ned on the back, but it was little consolation. Maybe… maybe he could get ned a new computer. Tony gave him quite a big allowance, despite Peter and Pepper's protests, so Peter could probably afford to splurge on his best friend. Besides, ned's birthday was coming up in a month.

A moment later the bell rang and the trio set off. Ned was still rubbing at his forehead as they walked down the hall. It really was a stupid thing to do. MJ split ways from Peter and Ned to go off to her homeroom. The sheet Peter had had Pepper sign also had some info about where to go and all that, and they were supposed to head to Ms Hoyle's room first.

The room was absolutely buzzing with anticipation, which made even Peter feel lighter on his feet, and despite the early hour, nearly everyone was wide awake. There were people sitting on desks, checking their phones, and someone was tossing around one of the stuffed animals Ms Hoyle kept on her desk. Peter and Ned tried their best to distance themselves from that mess, and actually sat in two of the desks. The other tables all seemed to be reserved for bookbags, judging by how many were strewn about. Of course, not everyone could be at a desk since there were to classes, but that wasn't an excuse to go anarchic. Overall it was just the expected behaviour when a bunch of teenagers are in one room and hyped.

The bell rang, and it was like they'd all been transported to an alternate universe. Everyone darted for a lab stool or desk, and somehow the stuffed lion found its way back to the desk at the front of the room. Even Peter hadn't seen it be returned. A bit of chatter remained, but was much quieter than before. The teacher walked in and flicked the lights, calling for everyone's attention. She immediately gained it, and all the students watched with bated breath as Ms Hoyle sat at her desk. Today she was wearing a modern black dress, with a grey cardigan. He jewellery seemed to have been toned down a bit, and her heels had been switched out for black ballet flats.

"I'm sure you're all excited, so I'll get to the boring stuff first. You all had better listen though because if you break any of the rules you'll be sent back to the lobby and sit with a chaperone." Everyone groaned, then started talking. It took the teacher a moment to get them to quiet down.

"Even though we won't be at school, all the same rules still apply. Keep your phones put away unless one of the activities requires them or until we stop for lunch. Absolutely no fighting, and don't argue with anyone you meet on the tour. Any questions?" No hands were raised, except for Ms Hoyle's as she clapped.

"Let's get to the busses!"

After that, it turned into a stampede.

AN: I found out today that my school is actually a STEM school, like Peter's in the Marvel movies. I honestly had no idea, and don't really see the difference since I guess I don't know what a 'normal' school is like. My history teacher described himself as a 'dying breed' since the school is centred toward STEM subjects instead of history, hah.

Anyway, thank you all for your follows, favourites, and reviews! I had like twenty notifications from them when I opened my email the other day, and I hope you guys are enjoying the story! And over 100 followers is insane! I hope you all have an amazing day!


	6. Passes

Peter was glaring at the world as he was practically forced onto a bus full of shower-deficit teenagers. Thankfully his sense of smell had gotten as good as his hearing or strength. He would've passed out by now. The teen was seriously reconsidering going on this trip or not. After all, his class would have just as much fun with him there as without. Then the bus started trundling off and Peter cursed at the missed chance. Maybe he could sneak away during the trip. No, then Tony might find out he was there if he diverged from their course. Tony tried his best to _avoid_ the tour groups. He didn't really enjoy the attention as much anymore since his teenage years.

"Hey dude, you alright? You look pale." Ned asked. He had sat in the aisle seat. Peter tore his glance from the New York cityscape blurring past the window to his best friend, who was sitting next to him in the seat. Ned looked concerned, deep creases forming on his forehead.

"Yeah Ned, I'm fine." Peter tried to pull a smile. It might've turned out looking more pained than he meant.

"'Fine' in Peter language means definitely _not_ fine. What's actually up?" Peter sighed, glaring Ned's way.

"You know me too well." He said with narrowed eyes.

"It's kind of my job. Now spill." Ned returned Peter's look, only with a smile.

"I'm just anxious, ok? I don't want to do anything to mess up the trip for anyone else, or get embarrassed." Peter looked out the window again to see how close they were. Some people were seemingly running to work, tourists could be seen staring up at the buildings, and little shops all over were opening their doors and flipping 'closed' signs to say 'open.' Peter recognized a pizza shop. They were only like 5 minutes away.

"You're not gonna ruin anything for anyone else dude. If anything, you can tell people more about what we see." He kind of had a point, but it did little to quell Peter's fear. It always was his worst nightmare to disappoint others or mess something up for them.

Ned left Peter alone to his thoughts until they arrived at Stark Tower. Or Avengers Tower, depending. The obnoxious atmosphere of the bus turned even louder, and Peter covered his ears. Ms Hoyle got up from her seat as the bus's brakes squealed. She put two fingers to her lips and whistled, making some people get quiet. Others started shushing everyone else loudly, only adding to the ruckus. Finally, after two minutes everyone had tied up their conversations and turned their attention to the petit teacher at the front of the bus.

"I've got to get the last few rules over with before we go in." There was a multitude of groans, but people quieted in a minute. Everyone was anxious to get inside.

"No roughhousing, vaping, cursing, and _please_ don't backtalk to the tour guide. All school rules still matter, even if we aren't currently at the school." There was a pause and she made contact with just about every other person on the entire bus. Peter almost felt a chill roll down his spine when her cold blue eyes met his. She was not messing around.

"Well then, let's go." With a smile and a snap of her fingers, Ms Hoyle darted down the bus stairs. The chaperones flew down the steep stairs after her, trying not to get caught in the stampede of teenagers. That rush followed as soon as the chaperones stepped off and each person fought to squeeze into the aisle. The huge mass of people congregated just inside the tall glass doors, and for once they fell silent.

With gaping eyes, they all studied the room. They took in the modern architecture, constructed by a mix of white walls and glass. The high ceilings made the room feel almost cavernous, and circular lights in the ceiling cast light into the corners which the great shafts of light streaming in from the windows could not reach. Pots of fake greenery were dotted between benches, and the Stark name was spelt out across one wall. It seemed to highlight the receptionists' desk, where Ms Hoyle had gone after sight-seeing for a moment herself.

A sparkle could be seen in Peter's eyes as he watched his class, mostly Ned, taking in the sights. Its novelty hadn't completely worn off, but Peter was more interested in the people watching at this point. Ned had been there before, of course, but not nearly as many times as Peter had. Not to mention that most times they took the back entrance.

Ms Hoyle returned and got everyone's attention. She was holding a stack of… stickers?

"Ok, y'all take this and put it on the top layer of whatever you're wearing. You'll have to scan it at the gate though, so make sure you can do that." There was a smattering of nods and assurances before Ms Hoyle called some people up to hand the stickers out. She called up Flash and a girl named Allison from Ned's class period. Thank goodness Allison made her way over to Peter and ned before Flash. Peter could only guess what he'd find to make fun of this time. The dude just would not stop.

Everyone sorted out their stickers and peter took a glance at his own. It was missing the picture and even a name, like his normal badge. It just had 'VISITOR' printed in black on a white background, then a barcode like you'd see on something in a store like Peter's normal badge. Suddenly Peter felt kind of embarrassed. He wasn't really a visitor, and it made it feel like he was lying.

Their tour guide showed up and Peter was glad he didn't recognize her. She had caramel-brown skin, with her long black hair pulled into a smooth high ponytail. A simple grey sweater was tucked into her black skirt. Her heels clipped on the smooth marble-like floors and with her pencil skirt, she wore a pair of leggings. Overall she looked professional, but still comfortable. Her outfit looked a lot like what Pepper wore for work, except Pepper didn't like sweaters. Too 'scratchy.'

"Good morning, everyone." The tour guide beamed kindly out at the group. Some people replied some didn't. Her bright mood didn't seem to diminish at all.

"My name is Anissa Patel, but you can just call me Anissa. I'll be your tour guide for the day."


	7. Hoverboard Hazards

"We'll get started with the tour in a few, but first I need to go over a few rules." Anissa seemed nice enough, and she led the group a bit further from the doors so that they weren't blocking the doorway for anyone else.

"We will be seeing a few of the labs, but without explicit permission, you shouldn't touch any of the projects. A few employees might talk to you about what they're doing, but please try not to hover and go away if they ask. We'll also be going through a museum dedicated to Stark industries, along with a section on the Avengers." Anissa winked at the group in general, but Peter could see she was winking at him. Pepper must've let her know who he was ahead of time… he just hoped she wasn't winking in that "I know you're Spider-Man" way and instead was winking in the "You're Mr Stark's kid and you've probably seen it all before" way. Pepper wouldn't tell someone random, would she? For all the time he'd lived at the tower, he still didn't know her as well as he knew Tony. He should probably do something about that, shouldn't he?

Peter had closed himself off in his mind and didn't notice the group moving until Ned elbowed him in the side.  
"Ow, dude. What was that for?" He rubbed his side, even though it didn't really hurt. He made a face and stuck his tongue out at Ned.

"You were spacing. And besides, I know that didn't hurt." Ned rolled his eyes before practically pushing Peter towards the rest of the group, who were going through the security gate. Ms Hoyle went through first, and each person who went through gathered around her. Flash pushed his way to the front, of course. He scanned the sticker and there was a beep in confirmation before he stepped through the rest of the way. He grinned smugly but it dropped when Ms Hoyle chided him for pushing. She wasn't all that critical, but her voice just had a way of making you feel the disappointment.

Some people had already stuck their "badges" on their shirts, so they had to lean down or tear it off to scan it. From what Peter knew, the only real purpose of the guest stickers was so it was known how many people were in the building. Or at least, for Friday to know how many people were in the building. There was security like Happy, or course. However, Friday was really the one watching over the building. She could have eyes on every single camera and notice if anyone tried to hack them. The entirety of the Tower would be screwed if she ever decided to go Terminator on them.

Peter scanned his sticker and stuck it on his shirt without a problem. The rest of the class went through the three scanners and Anissa was the last to go through. She scanned a badge that was rimmed in blue at the top and bottom.

"Attention! Everyone look up here!" Somehow the tour guide had wormed her way through the crowd and was standing next to their teacher. She whistled for everyone's attention and they all turned her way as their conversations trailed off.

"First off we will be heading to one of the labs. You'll go up the elevator in groups of four and meet me on the fifth floor. No worry about pushing the buttons, the elevator will take you there. Is that clear?" There was a smattering of head nods and quiet confirmations. Anissa smiled at them all and lead the way to the elevators. Peter was kind of curious, actually. He'd never seen those elevators. He always just took the private one since the very first time he'd come over and Tony had shown him around. Well, more like he showed Peter to his lab and penthouse. They didn't go on a tour like Peter was doing now.

"Hey, Puker Parker!" Peter barely felt his Spidey-Sense before Flash threw an arm over his shoulders. Peter had to fight the urge to punch the bully square in the mouth. He wasn't used to surprises, but really he should've expected Flash would cause trouble. He was just a thorn in his side at every turn, huh?

"What do you want, Flash?" Peter pushed his arm and took pleasure in Flash's stumble. He regained his composure in an instant and brushed his hair from his eyes before straightening, trying to make his two inches or so seem like he was towering over Peter. The guy just wouldn't give up.

"Why don't you tag along with my group, whimp?" He grinned deviously and Peter knew he meant bad news.

"He doesn't want to, Eugene." Ned stepped up from where he'd been standing behind Peter, stepping right up to Flash. There was a good four-inch height difference between the two. Peter was surprised at Ned. Where the heck had that come from? The confrontation turned into a staring match until Flash backed down.

"Fine!" He grumbled, stalking off to lick his wounds. That hit to his pride couldn't have been nice. Ned never usually stood up to him. Geez, today was just full of surprises.

Ned turned to face Peter with a triumphant grin on his face. Peter held out a fist bump that Ned countered happily.  
"What was that all about?" Peter asked with a raised brow.

"Well, you're always the one standing up for other people. I figured I could stand up for you for once. Even if I'm just the guy in the chair." Ned shrugged.

"Ned, you're more than that." Peter gave him a 'duh' look.  
"I'd say you're more like… the guy on the computer. There! You get to do more than just sit in a chair!" Peter tried to cheer his friend up, and it seemed that his attempts had worked when Ned chuckled in response.

"Please keep up! The line is moving!" Peter's attention was drawn by Ms Hoyle, who was yelling at him and Ned. They had somehow gotten right in front of the elevator, and the doors were standing wide open. Another group of two joined the pair of best friends and the elevator dinged to a close behind them.

The elevator started going up and… it was awkward, to say the least. The other two guys were both in Ned's class, and Peter didn't know them all that well. All four of them were just too awkward to say anything and… no one broke the silence. It seemed like an hour before the elevator slowed to a stop and they all got off. Peter let out a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding. That had been horrible. The other two darted off to a corner as soon as they stepped off and Peter saw Ned relax beside him.

They'd arrived in a small lobby outside of a lab that Peter didn't recognize. The floor was carpet and a fake plant could be seen in the corner. It looked like the office from, well, The Office. Except there was no receptionist desk. It seemed that this lab either wasn't important enough or wasn't big enough to have one. Nevertheless, it seemed that Pepper had had a hand in this part of the building. If it had been Tony's decision, it would've opened straight up to the lab, without all the fanfare. No doubt Pepper told him that was unsafe and he reluctantly gave in.

Other kids were milling about, some catching Anissa's eye when they bumped shoulders with each other and it became a competition. Someone noticed their spectator and elbowed the taller of the two, and they knocked it off. Slowly the rest of the class tricked in from the twin elevators and Ms Hoyle was the last one up. Flash sneered at Peter and did that thing where he took a jabbing step toward Peter and stuck his jaw out, trying to make the teen flinch. It didn't work and Peter rolled his eyes dramatically, so Flash could see. The bully sneered at him but walked away when met with Anissa's steely gaze. Despite her demeanour, it seemed that she could be intimidating when the need arose.

"Is everyone up?" The tour guide asked. Ms Hoyle nodded in response with a thumbs up and everyone started talking louder when they saw her start off towards the door. Anissa raised her hand for silence and the class stopped talking so fast Peter could've sworn that time stopped with how quiet it got. Everyone else seemed surprised at how fast everyone had cut off their conversations as well. It was almost supernatural because usually, at least one person ruined it.  
"Just a reminder, don't bother people who are working. In this lab, they are usually working on blueprints for things made in the larger labs, but a few of them might be testing outside projects and the such." Anissa swiped her pass across a scanner and they class filed in after her.

The room itself was a simple, with white tiled floors and white walls. It was what occupied the centre of the room that stood out. Holo-screens dotted the lab, and Peter even saw a few people messing with holographic versions of inventions, removing pieces and looking at the insides. They were just like the system's up in Tony's lab, even if his own might've been a bit more accurate after he'd messed with them.

Suddenly the front of the class took a step back and it almost formed a domino effect of falling, but everyone managed to stay on their feet. Peter stood on his tip-toes and just barely managed to catch sight of someone… on a hoverboard?! That was the same thing he'd been working on! Peter pushed his way to the front of the group, which got easier as people started to spread out. The guy riding the board wobbled suddenly, falling off the board. His feet shot out from under him and the board went flying. It slammed into the ceiling, which was a lot like the ones at school that had panels. Peter cringed as the guy fell flat on his back, and stepped forward to help him up. He had that exact same issue, except his powers usually kept his feet on the board. More than once he had to get Tony's help because he was stuck upside down.

"Are you okay?" Peter asked. The guy looked up at him and took his hand. Peter accidentally pulled him up a bit to fast and felt sorry for the dude. He looked like he was going to be sick. The guy nodded weakly in response, and Peter helped him over to an empty rolling chair sitting by one of the lab stations.

"Daniel!" Someone yelled. They jogged over from somewhere else in the lab and Peter took a step back. The woman leant down beside "Daniel," checking him over. She had straight black hair pulled into a short ponytail and wore a pair of tennis shoes and a purple t-shirt tucked into her black jeans. In the commotion, Peter hadn't really paid attention to what Daniel was wearing, but now he noticed the guy's messy black hair paired with a faded red v-neck, jeans, and a pair of black dress shoes. He only looked to be about 25 or so, and the woman looked to be the same age.

"That was awesome!" Someone in his class shouted. Peter jerked, he'd just about forgotten they were there. He was too busy thinking of any advice he could give for the hoverboard… it looked eerily like his own. With that shout, the dam broke, and his classmates started bombarding the engineers with questions. Daniel, the poor guy, just looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

"Enough! Everyone back up, give them some space!" Anissa ordered. The class obeyed, with some reluctance, and Daniel gave their tour guide a look of gratitude.  
"Are you alright?" Anissa asked. The guy had just fallen flat on his back, after all.

"Yeah, I think. Sorry about your board, Sam." The second part was addressed to the woman, who scoffed.

"I'm just glad you didn't break anything, you dolt." She rolled her eyes.  
"I take it you're the tour group?" Sam questioned. There was a smattering of replies from the class in response.  
"Well, any questions?" She wasn't looked at them, and instead went over to stand underneath the board. She tried jumping up to reach it, but it was too high. Ben, the tallest guy in Peter's class, went over and got it down for her. She thanked him in response.

"Did you make that?" Flash asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I found the designs on the servers, but I've been messing with them a bit," Sam answered, even though Flash had aimed the question at Daniel. So that was why it seemed familiar. It bugged Peter a bit that just anyone could see what he'd been working on, but maybe he could come down here later after school and ask more about what she'd done with it if she'd figured out solutions to any of the problems he'd been having.

"That is so cool! Weren't you working on a hoverboard?" Peter almost jumped when he suddenly heard Ned. He hadn't really noticed Ned stepping up beside him. His shorter friend gave him a look.

"I have been, and I think it was my design she found." Ned just looked shell-shocked and gaped at the hoverboard Sam was holding, flipping every which way to look for damage.

"Can I try?" Ned shouted. That broke the dam, and Sam hadn't even replied to Ned when everyone else started asking as well, crowding the engineer yet again.

"No! No one can try the board." Half the class started arguing that they could handle it, while the other half respected her decision. Peter and Ned included. Ned might've been excited, but Peter was sure he was just planning on asking Peter about it later.  
"As you saw a moment ago, it's dangerous. I'd be beside myself if any of you fell off and broke something. So sorry, but no."

"I'll pay you fifty bucks!" Flash shouted. Sam just glared at him in response, but then she saw someone who had their hand raised and it all turned into a Q and A.

"How old are you?"  
"Twenty-five."  
"What college did you go to?"  
"You probably wouldn't know of it."  
"How does the hoverboard work?"  
"It's a secret." At that question Sam put a finger to her lips, looking all conspiratorial-like. Peter grinned to himself at that one. He pretty much tuned out the questions after that and wasn't paying attention until he noticed Daniel coming up to him. He didn't even really notice Daniel, Ned elbowed him again.

"Thanks for the hand up earlier. I was a bit out of it, sorry." Daniel had a hand up behind his head, scratching his neck. Now that he saw him up close, Peter realized just how tall the guy was. Maybe the guy's height had thrown off his balance.

"It's no problem, I didn't really do anything." It was true, he'd just helped the guy to his feet after he fell. Anyone else would have stepped forward and done the same the next instant.

"Still." Daniel grinned a toothy grin.  
"So… is this your class?" The engineer eyed the rest of the students, glaring specifically at Flash.  
"That guy's the bully, isn't he?" He pointed straight at Flash and his gang.

"How did you figure that out so quickly?" Ned looked up at Daniel in astonishment. Peter was surprised himself. The guy hit the nail straight on its head.

"Short, self-righteous, seems like the type." He shrugged.

"Everyone!" Anissa was drawing everyone's attention again, raising her hand.  
"How about we let these two get back to whatever they were doing? There's still the rest of the tour and there's a lot to see." Anissa suggested, and the half of the class that was still circling around Sam like vultures deflated, taking a step back.

"Maybe you guys can come back and ask me questions later," Sam suggested. Peter decided he was going to come down later after school. Sam and Daniel seemed like pretty cool people. Maybe Ned would like to come with him. He'd ask Friday first if they were busy, of course. They were working.

"Everyone head back to the elevators!" Anissa smiled and the class filed out with a groan.


	8. A Little Competition

**AN:**

**Hello there! Thank you to everyone who's favourited and followed the story! It's my most popular one, though that probably has more to do with the fact that's it's for a more popular fandom than my other stories. But I'm still glad that you all like the story I'm telling! Have fun reading the chapter! I'm sorry it took so long, I just had a bit of writer's block lately and it just didn't feel like I was writing anything worth publishing for this story. Please, if you catch any mistakes or inconsistencies in the story, let me know! I don't always have the time to read through the old chapters so there might've been things I've forgotten.**

**Enjoy!**

"Ok, next we'll be heading to a museum. It has information on both Stark Industries and the Avengers, though I'm sure you will all be much more interested in the second topic."

"Of course," Flash said with an air of arrogance, as always. Peter just rolled his eyes and avoided going on the elevator with Flash. Before he knew it, the class was all standing in a room that he was oh-so-familiar with.

The room was semi-dark, with plaques illuminated by overhead lights. The floor consisted of a plain back tile, almost like that of a classroom. The walls were black as well, all to draw the attention from the room itself to the displays. Cases lined either wall, each centred around one of the avengers. The first time Peter had seen the room he'd been starstruck. After all, he'd only visited the tower a few times before he'd found himself moving into the penthouse. The cases all held the original costumes of each hero included. Some were recreations, for those who'd never changed outfits or whose original had been destroyed, such as Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Tony's Iron Man suit, and there was even one for Quicksilver, even though he hadn't been… around, for long. Other outfits were the real deal, such as Cap's outfit, and… wait, what?

"Peter!" Ned whisper-yelled from across the room. Peter could barely believe his eyes, and crossed the room as though in a haze. It'd been a long time since he'd been to the museum, and it seemed that Tony had made an addition to it without him noticing. Peter looked up in awe as a pair of bug-eyed goggles stared back down at him. The plaque in front of it read "Spider-Man."

"Why didn't you tell me!" Ned grinned, elbowing Peter.

"I had no idea! Tony didn't tell me," Peter couldn't help but grin. Off to the right was a list of facts about himself, and a few battles he'd fought. The battles mostly told about the things he'd done on the streets, though it highlighted his fight with the Vulture the most. The corners of each plaque had a white spider web that 'webbed' over it. The background was blue, and the emblazoned letters were a shade of red that perfectly watched Peter's costume. It was awesome! He almost couldn't believe that Tony hadn't shown him! Usually Tony liked to show off whenever he did something. Maybe he'd just been waiting for him to find out on his own?

"Watch it, Puny." Flash shoved Peter aside with his shoulder. The bully became engrossed in the exhibit almost immediately after he'd pushed Peter and Need out of the way. Peter scowled at Flash behind his back. The guy was so hot and cold when it came to Peter's identities. He hated Peter with a passion, but he loved 'Spider-Man.' The irony was so cruel that more than once Peter had the urge to just shout at Fash that he was Spider-Man. It was a fun thought to entertain, but he could never actually do it.

"Let's go check out some of the other exhibits," Ned said, not bothering to hide the venom in his voice and the daggers he was glaring into the back of Flash's head. Ned started walking towards Steve's exhibit, and Peter followed after him.  
"Why do you let him do that kind of stuff?" Ned asked in a whispered tone after the pair had a few yards of distance between themselves and Flash.

"He might be a bully, but it's not like he's beating anyone up. He's all bark, no bite." Peter reasoned. Sure, Flash liked to pick on people. But the most he ever really did was trip people or shove them. He never left any more than a bruise and certainly wasn't willing to fight hand-to-hand. He was too much of a wimp trying to make himself look big. In short, a nuisance.

"If you say so. How about we go look at Clint exhibit?" Ned asked. Peter nodded in response and followed him across the museum.

The tour group spent another 15 minutes or so milling about and checking out the exhibits. Just as Flash's group of 'friends' had started to start rowdy Anissa called for everyone's attention.  
"Everyone to the elevators! Same groups. Next up on the tour we will be heading up to one of the labs where they've prepared a challenge for you all. I wasn't told what it is, but you will need teams of," Anissa counted the group. There were 32 of them in all since they were from two classes.  
"...teams of 3, and one of 2. Now to the elevators." She finished. Anissa turned around, headed towards the end of the museum, and the group followed after her.

* * *

"Hello there! Long-time no see!" Daniel said. The group had come out of the elevators and were led down a white hall with doors intermittently dispersed along it. At the fourth door on the left, Anissa scanned her badge and opened the door for the students and bid them the enter.

Daniel was standing in the middle of the room and greeted them as they entered. Next to him stood a guy with black hair and dark skin that Peter didn't recognize was there as well, but there wasn't all that surprising. Many people he'd seen today had just looked vaguely familiar, and mostly that was because he'd seen them in the lobby or something like that. The room was very clearly a lab, with white tiles and black countertops. There weren't any holograms or anything of that sort, it seemed like Tony was the only one with that sort of tech. Or not, Peter didn't really know enough to be sure. Tony's lab was the only place he'd seen them.

"Go ahead, everyone find a seat." Daniel urged. There were twelve lab stations in all, each up against one wall. The countertops were black and there were white cabinets suspended around the entire room. On each counter were two large paper bags. Full of what, Peter didn't know.

It seemed that everyone had decided their groups already and headed for a lab station. Ned shot Peter a look asking if he wanted to work together. Peter nodded in response. They did the same thing almost every time they were in a class together and needed partners. They didn't even really need to ask anymore. Ned started towards one of the lab stations- the one most opposite of Flash and the poor souls who'd gotten stuck with him- and sat down. Soon enough, everyone had gotten settled on their stools and Peter looked towards Daniel and his black-haired friend for what they'd be doing next. Anissa sat at one of the empty lab tables and looked at them as well. She looked bored, like she'd done this a million times before. She probably had.

"Ok, everyone! My name is Tucker, I'll be telling you about the challenge we came up with for you guys. You're all going to be making mousetrap cars." Hey, Peter had heard of those! By Ned's expression, he had as well. That would be perfect. Peter had even watched a video on how to get the most power out of the car. It'd need a long lever to go for longer, even if that might slow it down. And it needed to be a light as possible, and if they had the supplies he was thinking of, they might be able to win!

"If you don't know what a mousetrap car is," Daniel took over, and grabbed a mousetrap from the station Anissa was sitting at for an example.

"It is powered by the part of the trap that flips over when the mouse takes the bait, normally. It is then attached to a string that is wrapped around one of the wheel axles." Daniel pointed at the pieces as he talked, and Peter could see the class leaning in, some of those in the back were squinting as well. Many, however, seemed to understand and leant back in their seats.

"You have about 45 minutes to construct your cars, each bag of supplies is for a group. You can test them here in the middle of the room or in the hallway. But ask one of us if you want to test it out there. Any questions?" Tucker resumed. He looked around for any raised hands but didn't see any. Peter could see Ned shift in his seat, ready for the challenge. Peter was excited too. He could wait to test the car, however it turned out. He always liked the design process more than actually testing whatever he built, even though it was satisfying to see an idea work out.

"Ok, go ahead," Daniel said. Almost immediately the class burst into action, the din of voices getting louder as everyone got to work. Peter stood and reached for the bag, bringing it over.

"Do you have any ideas?" Ned asked. Peter emptied out the bag and set out the contents in neat rows. There were six CDs, two rulers, a length of paracord, four spools, one of which with some white thread, a roll of duct tape, a handful of straws, a pair of scissors, and some cardboard. Not to mention the mousetrap, of course.

"Ow!" At the sound of pain, Peter glanced up suddenly. Everyone else had the same idea if a bit delayed, and soon Flash had everyone in the classes looking at him try in vain to get a mousetrap off of his finger. Laughs erupted and Flash smiled half-heartedly through the pain, faking a chuckle himself. Peter just shook his head with a laugh and looked back down at the supplies. He'd already drawn up a few designs in his head. If he cut two of the CDs into makeshift gears, he could make the one connected to the string smaller and the one connected to the axels a bit larger. It'd give their a car a bit more mechanical advantage. They could also add some tape to the rims of the CD wheels to give them a bit more traction. The rulers had holes in either end already, since they were the plastic ones. They could put the straw axles through either of the holes and use some cardboard between them to hold them together and have the trap as far from the back axle as possible. The string would be best as well.

Peter explained his idea with Ned and they talked back and forth while putting pieces together. Soon enough it felt like just Peter and Ned, like when he worked in the lab with Tony. Peter hadn't realised he and Ned would work this well together. He and Ned both had their strengths, and they knew each other well enough to know when to let the other take control. They meshed extremely well and soon a prototype car sat on the counter, ready to be tested to their hearts' content. Peter glanced at the clock while adding some extra little touches. They even had 15 minutes to spare, if Peter's math was correct. Which it usually was.

"Do you want to test it in the middle of the room?" Peter asked. He didn't really want to bother Daniel, Tucker, Anissa, or Ms Hoyle.

"Sure," Ned picked up their cart and together they walked into the back of the room, farthest away from the door. Peter watched to make sure there wasn't anyone about to step into the centre of the room and accidentally break their cart. He glanced around at everyone else working and was surprised that he and Ned seemed to be the only ones ready to test yet. Not by much, but he wasn't quite sure it was a good thing. Well, at least he'd have time to test a bit more.

Ned set off the cart and the duo watched in anticipation as it set off. The car was relatively slow, so Peter and Ned kept up pretty easily as they walked along beside it. Peter and Ned both got excited as the car kept going, and kept going, all the way across the room. It stopped right in front of the closed door, and Peter could feel himself grinning, even if he hadn't done it consciously. Ned was beaming as well, as he picked up the car and they scurried back over to their lab station.

"That was awesome!" Peter whisper-yelled.

"I know! But we might want to make a few adjustments. I saw some things that we can fix." Ned suggested. Peter nodded in response and before he knew it the pair was elbow-deep in cardboard and tape again.

"Five minutes left!" Daniel exclaimed suddenly. Peter glanced up from the car and glanced up at the clock. Yep, five minutes left. Peter turned back to the car, now with racing stripes made out of duct tape lining the sides, before he was interrupted once again. The hairs on peter's neck stood up, and his gaze darted around the room. His spidey-sense was going off, but he didn't see any immediate danger in the room. He shrugged it off after a minute of nothing happening and went back to working on the car. Just nerves, he guessed. They went away after a moment anyways. Peter wasn't the most competitive person, but he sure wanted to wipe the smile off of Flash's stupid face.

"Excuse me," Came Friday's voice from the ceiling. He jerked suddenly, not expecting the AI to speak so suddenly. Some people in the class looked startled, but most were used to sudden voices coming from speakers because of the PA system at school. Peter was only surprised because it was Friday, and Ned was mildly curious as well.

"Yes?" Daniel replied. The corners of his mouth were turned up in a slight smile like he was surprised to be talking to the AI and happy about it. Peter realised he had little to no idea if anyone else normally interacted with Friday It was weird to think that such an omnipresent figure in his life talked with people besides himself, Pepper, and Tony. Or the occasional guest, of course.

"Peter Parker and Ned Leeds are needed on the 93rd floor. Their parents have already called the school to excuse them and have given their consent." Friday said in a calm voice that did absolutely nothing to calm Peter's nerves when he heard what she had to say. What had happened? Did it have something to do with his spidey-sense going crazy for no apparent reason? Was someone hurt? Peter listened for anything outside of the building for a moment, extended his hearing for any screams or sounds of distress. He couldn't hear any, though. That was just more worrying.

"Can we go?" Peter asked, his voice cracking and words almost slurred in his haste to say them. The goosebumps returned with a vengeance and Peter hid his shiver as the adults exchanged looks and conversation.

"I-I guess." Tucker shrugged. He looked at Ms Hoyle for approval, and the woman was on her phone.

"They were signed out, so I suppose they can leave." Ms Hoyle replied. Peter glanced at Ned to see him putting some of their extra supplies back in the bag with shaking hands. From fear or something else, Peter had no idea.

"I can lead them there, and Tucker- could you set off their cart in the competition for them?" Daniel asked, stepping away from where he'd sat at an empty station next to Tucker. Tucker nodded his assent.

"Um, that's not necessary. I know my way around, I'm- I was an intern here over the summer." Peter said quickly, already stepping away from the lab station with Ned in tow.

"You at least need my pass to take the elevator. I'll go with you." Daniel didn't leave any room for argument as he followed Ned and Peter out of the room. Peter's senses dialled down again as the trio stepped out into the hallway. That was a bit worrying, and Peter narrowed his eyes. Daniel looked down at him with a raised eyebrow. It was all quiet for a minute as they walked down the hall.

"Who are you?" Daniel asked. Peter looked up at him with wide eyes before he could stop himself. His heart was trying to break free of his ribcage and he was on a bit of an adrenaline rush because of worry.

"He was an intern over the summer, he worked with Mr Stark. Perhaps he just wants to talk with him about something." Ned suggested, stepping up so that he was walking side by side with Peter. He threw an arm over Peter's shoulders and the teen was suddenly very glad the Ned was there. Daniel gave a suspicious look but dropped the conversation. It was true, after all. Peter had done some intern work over the summer to keep his mind off of… other things. He'd gone back to just doing his own things when school started, however, since he didn't have as much free time.

The private elevator, next to the two normal elevators, opened before the trio had even gotten to the end of the hallway. Daniel only said a small 'huh' before stopping, letting Ned and Peter go ahead of him.

"Guess you didn't need me," he shrugged.

"Thanks anyways," Ned replied. Peter was glad that his friend was doing the talking for him. There was a ball of worry in the middle of his throat, and he didn't know if he'd be able to speak, he was already having an issue getting enough air normally.

"Thanks," Peter croaked. It was just as difficult as he thought it'd be, and as the elevator door closed he sank to the floor. The elevator started rising without command, Friday obviously in control.

"No problem, dude. You'd do the same for me." Ned sat down next to him on the carpet and put his arm back over Peter's shoulders. The teen was glad for the warmth his best friend was supplying. He felt cold with anxiety. Peter just nodded in reply.


	9. Waiting

The elevator ride was quite short, though the seconds seemed to flow as slowly as honey. After what seemed like an eternity, but was truly only a minute or so, the doors had opened and the pair of best friends were looking out at the penthouse. Peter immediately stood, Ned's arm falling from his shoulders. He waited for his friend to stand before they walked into the entry hall. Everything was deathly still, a rare commodity amidst the usual hustle and bustle of work and the such that went through the penthouse. However, it was just unsettling. Peter extended his hearing as far as it would go, able to hear the clicking of heels on the floor below and the slight buzz of some sort of machinery on a lower floor.

Peter just hoped that someone hadn't managed to break in, or anything of that sort. It'd be one of his worst nightmares if something of that sort were to happen. When Peter lived with a superhero, not to mention being one himself, he'd learned to fear for the worst and prepare for it as best he could.

"Tony! Pepper!" Peter shouted. He walked into the living room and didn't see either of them. Ned just trailed behind him like a lost puppy, obviously not knowing what to do. In all honesty, Peter wasn't sure what to do either. Something must've come up for Pepper to tell Tony that his class was on a field trip no less to call him upstairs. But if it was hero business, why had Ned been asked to come along as well? No offence to Ned, but he didn't have much experience besides helping out whenever Peter went patrolling and needed help.

"Boss and Mrs. Stark are in their bedroom, you can enter," Friday said calmly in reply to the hanging question. She answered much too calmly for Peter's mood. His spidey sense flared up again as he jogged through the living room, kitchen, and down the hall that held the bedrooms. Ned went as well, though following at a more reasonable pace. Peter's sneakers squeaked on the floor as he stopped abruptly at Tony and Pepper's door, the last one in the hallway and on the right. He wasn't quite prepared for what he saw.

Pepper was sitting on the bed, propped up with more pillows than Peter could count and even a few he noticed with Star Wars pillow cases from his room. Her eyes were scrunched up in a grimace, almost as though she was in pain. Tony, in contrast, was bouncing around the room like a jackrabbit. He was saying things under his breath quicker than Peter could read his lips. Not to mention he was dumping a bunch of items into a duffel bag -that was vaguely familiar- sitting at the foot of the bed on his side.

"Hey- hey, Peter, Ned," Pepper said weakly, soundly releasing all tension and falling back into the pillows. She was smiling weakly.

"Peter!" Tony exclaimed. His normally styled hair was plastered against his forehead like he'd just gotten out of the shower.

"Where's the list of things we made to take to the hospital?" Tony questioned, quickly, and worriedly. Peter was just standing dumbstruck in the doorway, brain working incredibly slowly for someone who Tony had called a genius. After he didn't answer after a full 10 seconds Pepper felt the need to explain.

"The contractions started, Peter," Pepper said with a pained smile as she laid a hand on her stomach. She seemed to have sensed his confusion.

"OH!" Peter exclaimed suddenly as the pieces locked themselves into place in his brain. He didn't even realize when his spidey sense had stopped nagging at him.

"The list is on the kitchen counter, Tony. Did you grab clothes yet?" Peter questioned. As soon as the realization crossed his mind he launched into action. He'd had to learn how to be calm, and it was sure about to come in handy.

"Not yet," Tony exclaimed, already out the door and speed-walking to the kitchen. Peter shook his head and left Ned with Pepper to go to the nursery down the hall.

"I'll be right back," Peter said as he left. His stride was quick, but he'd calmed down considerably now that he knew what was going on. That didn't mean he wasn't anxious, however. But he would consider the ramifications of what was happening later when he could calm down a bit more. For now, he darted into the nursery. Everything was still an absolute mess, in no way ready for a baby. They had expected another week or so before Pepper went into labour. Oddly, Pepper getting contractions now hadn't even crossed Peter's mind when he was going through his list of doomsday events in his head on the ride up. His reactions seemed so silly now.

Peter rummaged around the room for a minute or so before finding the outfit Pepper had picked to take the baby home in. It was a soft fleece and had monkeys on the front and the butt, which Peter thought was weird but all baby clothes seemed to be like that. He also grabbed a pack of newborn binkies and a blanket. 'Better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it,' Uncle Ben used to say.

The teen walked back to the bedroom and found Tony darting around the room, grabbing things that Peter just vaguely remembered putting on the list they'd made a little while ago. Ned was over by Pepper, helping her put a heating pad behind her back. They'd just got it settled when Pepper grimaced suddenly, and her back arched a bit. It was at that moment that Peter's senses went off again. Peter glanced around wildly for a moment, looking through a crack in the curtains suspiciously. But upon seeing nothing, he dropped the items in the bag. He practically gave himself whiplash when he heard Pepper's breathing quicken.

Pepper stifled a scream and grabbed onto Ned's wrist blindly. She breathed quickly and in small gasps, clearly in pain. Ned looked down at her with wide eyes but didn't remove his hand. Peter could see that Pepper was squeezing Ned's arm pretty tightly, and he had to guess that her nails were digging into his arm. But Ned didn't pull away, and instead started trying to help Pepper get her breathing under control. What did he do to deserve such a great friend? Peter honestly didn't know, but it made him smile.

"That's everything on the list," Tony said suddenly, and Peter looked at him closely for the first time. He was wearing a grey ACDC t-shirt, which was a bit wet at the collar from the water still dripping from his hair. A pair of sunglasses were perched on his forehead, and he was wearing a pair of black jeans. On his feet was a pair of dress shoes, with untied laces. He didn't even have a watch on. It was definitely the most dishevelled Peter had seen him when it was after noon.

"Are you sure we won't need anything else?" Tony asked, not addressing anyone in particular.

"I'm sure, Tony. Are you driving or do you want me to?" Peter questioned. The end was mostly added on as a courtesy. Peter had only gotten his license that summer, after all. There certainly wasn't enough notice to get a driver to take them to the hospital.

"You already know my answer to that," Tony deadpanned. Peter was glad to see that he hadn't lost his sense of humour entirely, even if he looked like a fancy hobo.

"I had to ask," Peter said, holding his hands up. Suddenly he realized something, watching Pepper as she relaxed into the pillows.

"Do you think you can walk?" He asked in her direction. Pepper glanced up at him, and her eyebrows became furrowed. It was the same look she usually used when she was thinking. It was almost as though she was checking herself over, deciding if she'd be able to. Peter studied her a bit further as well, to decide for himself in case she lied. He fiery red hair was splayed all over the pillow behind her, and her forehead gleamed slightly with a sheen of sweat.

"I… probably can." Pepper replied after a moment.

"So that's a no, in Pepper speak," Tony interjected. Pepper just shot him a look that said she definitely wasn't up for his jokes at the moment. Peter decided to make a suggestion, if only to interrupt the conversation the two adults seemed to be having with just their expressions.

"Ok, ok. Do you want me to carry you?" Peter questioned. Pepper just raised an eyebrow, as if to ask if he'd actually be able to.

"I have super-strength, I won't drop you. Promise," Peter smiled.

"Alright. We should get going," Tony clapped his hands together, and hauled the duffel bag over his shoulder. Peter walked over to Pepper's bedside and checked her expression for permission to pick her up. Ned moved out of the way when he approached and Peter sent Ned a look of thanks. Ned just nodded in reply.

"Ok?" Peter asked Pepper. She seemed to think for a second before nodding. Peter slid his arms underneath Pepper's back and the bend of her knees. Pepper wrapped her left arm around the back of Peter's neck and the other went over his shoulder and she intertwined her fingers around his neck. The comforter Pepper had been lying under stayed on the bed, so Ned grabbed one of the blankets that had been sitting on the end of the bed. He laid it over Pepper and she thanked him.

Pepper was surprisingly light, now that Peter was carrying her. He thought it would've been harder to carry her, since she was taller than him. But it felt as though she weighed no more than a large cat. It was odd, and he was thankful for his powers at that moment.

The quartet made it along just fine, getting into the elevator and walking out into the lobby. It wasn't until they arrived in the lobby that something, which really should've been expected, went a bit awry. Suddenly Pepper tensed in Peter's arms. Her eyes slammed shut and she arched her back, seemingly holding back a screech. They all stopped suddenly and Peter went over to one of the benches to set her down. However, Pepper's hand were locked in a death grip around his neck, so that wasn't an option. So the four of them just stayed there for an awkward minute, Peter standing deathly still in an effort not to make it worse for Pepper. It was hard to stand still because his spider-sense was going off yet again. Peter realised something, suddenly. His senses went haywire whenever Pepper had a contraction. That was, 1; super odd, and 2; giving him a headache. But he couldn't do much about it, could he?

It seemed that they had stayed for just a little while too long because soon someone was shouting across the lobby at them. At Ned and Peter specifically.

"Hey Punies!" Someone shouted, their voice somehow carrying all the way across the lobby. Peter's head whipped around and he caught sight of Flash less than a hundred feet away. He had his arms crossed and Peter could feel the smugness radiating from him. It was amazing that such a small person could inflict such hate and harm.

"Did you two fake that call just so you could get out of the field trip? I didn't think you could be that lame." Flash smirked. Peter just turned around and tried to ignore the idiot, but he was walking closer. Peter glanced up at Tony and saw his glaring at Flash. It never turned out well for the other party when Tony glared like that.

"Tony, let's go," Peter said, a bit of force in his tone. Pepper had relaxed in his arms, but her skin was clammy and she looked like she'd aged ten years. They didn't have time to mess with a school bully. Tony just turned a lessened version of his glare on Peter and held up a finger to him, as though telling him to wait a minute.

"Just who do you think you are, kid?" Tony asked, tone icy with a hint of sarcasm. Flash looked at Tony as though he hadn't seen him when he'd yelled at Peter, and when Tony took off his sunglasses- that had somehow fallen into place- Peter could see Flash's soul leave his body and his jaw dropped to the floor. Tony might've been wearing a t-shirt and jeans and had his hair plastered to his forehead, but he was still an intimidating figure.

Flash gaped like a fish, glancing back between Tony, Ned, and Peter, who was still carrying Pepper. Flash picked his jaw back up off the floor and it seemed as though he was about to say something, but he caught another glare from Tony and ran off with his tail between his legs, completely speechless. As Flash ran back off to the group gathered around the elevators, Tony turned to Peter.

"I'd ask who that is, but honestly I don't want anything more on my mind today," Tony said, and he dropped his aviators back into place. He started walking off toward his garage- which was a walled-in section off of the normal parking garage, but nicer of course. Before they left, however, Peter saw Ned stick his tongue out at Flash and he grinned.

Peter and Ned followed behind Tony and the door to his garage opened without a word, most likely Friday's doing. The parking garage was cold and Peter was thankful in that instant that Ned had grabbed a blanket for Pepper. It was a short walk to Tony's car of choice, one of his less flashy four-doors. Tony took a short detour to grab the keys off of the rack but they all got to the car fairly quickly.

The exterior might've seemed plain, being only grey in colour, but the inside was anything but. The seats were black leather and probably cost more money than Peter had seen at one time in his entire life. The front seats were heated, and there was extra legroom in the back. Which came in handy as Peter gently set Pepper down in the driver's side of the back seat. He went around to the other side and caught Ned standing awkwardly by the side of the car.

"Well get in," Peter said, making a hurrying gesture to the front seat. Ned looked at his friend with widened eyes before opening the door to the front seat and -very carefully and considerately- sitting down.

Tony only waited until Pepper had her seatbelt and everyone had gotten in before taking off. Not literally, this time. New York traffic was, as normal, horrific. Half the people on the road didn't seem to follow the street signs and it seemed that all of the jaywalkers, from tourists to locals, had decided that that day was the perfect one to go on a stroll. But Tony held his tongue in an effort not to stress Pepper out any further. The trip seemed to drag on and on but, before they knew it, they'd arrived at the hospital.

"You all stay here," Tony said as he fumbled with his seatbelt before almost tripping over his shoelaces and heading inside the huge building.

Peter glanced out of the window and saw that he couldn't even see the top of the building without leaning closer to the passenger side window. The mass of steel and concrete must have been 70 floors, at least. Peter was used to the sight of tall buildings, he'd lived in New York for as long as he could remember after all, but he was still a bit intimidated looking straight up at the tall buildings.

There was a sudden knock on the window that made Peter almost leap out of his skin. With his heart thundering in his chest Peter whipped around and saw Tony at the window. There was a click as Ned hit the unlock button and Tony opened the door. A nurse was standing behind Tony with a wheelchair. Luckily Pepper wasn't having a contraction at that moment and she denied any help, insistent on doing it herself. She might've been in pain, but she was still Pepper Stark.

Almost in a fog, Peter and Ned followed after Tony, the nurse, and Pepper. The five of them walked into the hospital and it seemed that fate had taken pity on them because it was a very short way to where they needed to go. To the left was a small staircase, but the Nurse took Pepper down a hallway to the right and into the elevator. Tony followed them but Peter and Ned took the staircase. There was a moment of silence as the best friends waited for Pepper.

"This day took a crazy turn," Ned said as the two stared at the elevator doors.

"You're telling me," Peter said sarcastically. At that moment, the elevator dinged and the rest of their party stepped, or was rolled, out of the elevator. Ned stepped forward quickly and stepped forward to open the door for the nurse and Pepper after the nurse scanned her badge on a scanner next to it. They both thanked him but when Ned and Peter went to follow through the door Tony stopped them.

"She needs to get changed and medicine and things like that, you guys wait out here and I'll come get you when I can, okay?" Tony said. Peter was disappointed and definitely didn't want to leave Pepper, but he understood the need and nodded solemnly. Ned seemed reluctant as well but said a quiet yes.

"Thank-you, guys," Tony said before disappearing into the room.

The calm almost seemed unreal. Peter and Ned exchanged a look at the sudden change. The adrenaline they both had was still running through their veins, even as the boys sat in the waiting room that was right off of the same hallway as the door Pepper and Tony had disappeared through.

It was a pretty simple room. The tile floor from the hallway turned into carpet, and there was a table with a few magazines on it stashed away in the corner. A few kids' toys were sitting in a bin next to it as well, and hanging on the wall softly playing an episode of Spongebob Squarepants was a small TV. Underneath it was a small machine that had a few cups and looked like it had hot chocolate and coffee, which Peter was sure he'd be going to often if his boredom got much worse. The walls were painted a midnight blue which went fairly well with the oddly-stained grey carpet. Overall, it was a normal, boring waiting room. Though it certainly wasn't the best place to be nursing a spidey-sense-induced headache, Peter realized as he rubbed at his temples.

Slowly the adrenaline ebbed away and the two teens were left sitting alone in the waiting room with only Ned's twenty-five percent battery and not a charger between them, But hey, at least there was coffee.

**AN: Hello! I'm sorry for the super weird direction this is going. At least I think it's weird. Still, I hope you enjoy it even if I don't. I'm also drawing on my own experiences for pretty much all of this. There's a lot of waiting involved, lol. It'd probably be different for rich people like Tony but idk what that's like.**


	10. Morgan Stark

Scratch that, the coffee was horrible.

About fifteen minutes and a dead phone later, Peter and Ned had decided to risk the coffee. The machine had dragged its metaphorical feet for almost ten minutes making a single cup of coffee since it was one of those Keurigs and just had a refillable cup thing to put the coffee in. Ned had groaned and gone back to his seat after a while, getting a few minutes of playing Pokemon Go out of his phone battery. He was still a loyal Instinct player, and the hospital -as morbid as it was- had a Pokestop and a Gym.

After the machine had finally stopped making weird noises Peter deemed it safe enough to remove the styrofoam cup. It was then that the teen noticed that there were only packets of sugar, and it wasn't even real sugar. He put a few in before facing the brown liquid with fully believing that he was going to keel over dead after taking a sip. But he'd already committed to it, and Ned was watching in curiosity. Peter's face scrunched as he held the small cup up to his lips. With very, very low expectations, the teen took a sip.

Instantly Peter spit the coffee back into the cup. Not because it tasted bad, but because it was still practically boiling. Peter could feel his taste buds burning off as he practically threw the cup down and took off for the bathroom on the opposite side of the hallway as the waiting room. The teen ran the water without even bothering to turn on the lights and used his cupped hands to dump ice-cold water into his mouth to stop the burning.

"You okay dude?" Ned asked from outside the bathroom. Peter hadn't even bothered to close the door and just shot Ned a thumbs up as he looked through bleary eyes for paper towels since his face was covered in water.

"I'm fine, just an idiot," Peter said. He found a plastic handle and when he pressed down on it he could hear the paper towels. He grabbed a few and wiped off his face.

"You're not an idiot, Peter. Just a bit stupid," Ned insulted playfully.

"And you're one to talk," Peter retorted and stuck his tongue out at his friend. It was all just a joke, after all.

"Easy for you to say with a burnt tongue." Replied Ned. Peter rolled up the paper towel before walking back into the waiting room. He yeeted the paper towel at Ned before plopping down in the seat next to him.

"I gotta admit, that was a good one," Peter held his hand up for a high-five and Ned, surprisingly, didn't leave him hanging. With that distraction gone, and the remains of it thrown into the trash a few minutes later, the pair were left to sit in silence. The boredom that had made them resort to watching Spongebob reruns was cut short when Tony entered the room.

The billionaire looked a bit worse for wear, but was in a much better state than he was in earlier. It'd only been 40 minutes but his hair had had time to dry and he must've gotten a moment to brush it back into a semi-presentable state. He looked generally calmer as well, but there was still a buzz of energy going around him, perhaps just because of the circumstances.

"Hey," He greeted, holding the door open.

"You guys wanna see Pepper?" He asked. Peter immediately stood up but turned to Ned when he didn't stand.

"You go on without me, I'll stay out here," Ned said dismissively. Peter levelled him a glare. He could tell that his best friend was embarrassed and probably felt like he was overstepping some boundary that he'd made up in his own head. Sometimes it seemed like, even though he was an amazing person and Peter was definitely better for being his friend, Ned just couldn't get it through that thick skull of his that he was _wanted_. That people liked being around him and wanted him near. Sure, he didn't know Pepper the best, but he was still Peter's best friend and was like a brother to him. Why didn't he get that? Tony spoke before Peter could.

"If you're worried about imposing, don't." He said in that matter-of-fact, Stark way.

"There's a reason I called you up with Peter, so come on," Tony said as though it was the most obvious thing and made a hurrying gesture. Still Ned didn't move so Peter grabbed his arm and dragged the sputtering teenager through the door with a roll of his eyes.

Almost immediately after walking through Peter scrunched up his nose. It smelled _horrible_. At least, it did to him. The air was saturated with the smell of hand sanitizer, bleach, and just general cleaning supplies. Not to mention that it was a strong smell in the first place. Luckily the sights weren't as disgusting. In fact, everything looked fairly nice. The floors were tile, of course. The walls were painted a light blue, and on one of them was a board like in elementary school classrooms that was covered in pink and blue construction paper and a bunch of babies' names. It was adorable, and it excited Peter to no end that soon a name with the ending of 'Stark' would be put up there with the rest.

The space itself was fairly simply laid out. Straight ahead was a short hallway and another one to the left. On the corner was a nurse's station which was oddly devoid of any people. Peter didn't get very long to take in the sight as Tony headed off down the hallway to the left and the teenagers trailed after him. Somewhere in the distance, a baby cried and the weight of what was actually happening hit Peter like a freight train.

They were at a hospital, not for a bad reason for the first time. Sometime that very day Pepper would give birth, and he was here to actually experience it. He was going to be present as his, Pepper's, and Tony's lives changed. There was going to be a baby around the penthouse, an adorable little infant. He'd have a sibling! It was surreal to think about that, after a decade of thinking he'd never have one.

The trio entered a room. Up against the centre of the left wall was a hospital bed, and in it laid Pepper. She was sitting up in the bed, leaning against a pile of pillows behind her. She looked to be in a lot less pain than she had been before, which Peter was glad for. He felt almost guilty for her going through this whole ordeal for something he'd benefit from, but he was determined to help her any way he could after the baby was born. She had Tony to help her now, but Peter was going to do everything he could to help her feel better and get a rest after it was over.

"How're you doing?" Peter asked as he walked over to the bed. Tony had already taken the chair right next to it so he stood behind Tony. Ned went over to sit on the loveseat by the window, probably feeling again like he wasn't supposed to be there. There was only so much Peter could do to change his mind, so he left Ned be.

"A lot better, but I can't wait for this all to be over with." Pepper said in an exhausted tone.

"The nurse said it'll probably be another two hours or so before she's ready," Tony added. He reached out for Pepper's hand and held it. Tony nodded in response, but inside he felt as exhausted as Pepper looked. He wasn't in the mood to just sit around for so long. But for about a half an hour Peter muddled through the wait, watching Pepper half the time and watching the tv the other half.

But as Peter was waiting, something happened.

As normal Peter's senses started to go off. He'd gotten used to it after a while and always paid extra attention to Pepper while it happened. However, this time was different. Tony reacted to Pepper's contraction more pankickedly than normal and pressed the button to call the nurse. Peter didn't completely understand as the nurse, Peter learned her name was Sarah, came to Pepper's aid. Words were spoken and like magic another nurse appeared -his ID said Matthew- and started talking to Pepper and Tony. Things began to go by in a blur and suddenly Peter found himself and Ned being pushed out of the room, being told to go to the waiting room until Tony came and got them.

Peter was no idiot, and he knew that was not meant to be there and did not want to be there when Pepper gave birth. So he and Ned left the room in a hurry and even though they were in no rush to wait, even more, they went to the waiting room. Its name was far too fitting.

"I can't wait to see the baby," Ned said with a smile as they sat down in the same seats as before. Ned being there must've counteracted Peter's Parker Luck because they were still the only people in the room.

"I'm excited too, but I hate waiting," Peter huffed as he collapsed into the seat.

"Well, maybe we don't have to wait here the entire time," Ned said with a smile that just screamed he had an idea.

"What are you planning?"

* * *

After definitely _not_ getting lost, Peter and Ned found themselves in the hospital's gift shop. The entire left wall of the rectangular room was covered in baby stuff. Anything from onesies to balloons could be found, and much more. The entire wall seemed to be separated into boy's and girl's stuff, which frustrated Peter to no end.

"Do they expect _everyone_ to know the gender first?" He huffed.

"Maybe they just don't expect people to shop before the baby's born," Ned shrugged and wandered over to the toy section. The pair of boys awed at the adorable little blankets and hats. Suddenly Peter gasped and saw some baby stuff that, very ironically, seemed to be Avengers themed.

"Ned!" Peter called for his friend's attention as he kneeled to look through the beanies. There was Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Black Panther, and even a Hulk! Peter was honestly surprised how many they had, seeing as the gift shop was fairly small. Even as he looked through the box the boy couldn't find what he was looking for, though.

"Look at this Peter," Ned interrupted the search with two beanies in his hands.

Peter gasped when he saw the little hats and reached to take them from Ned. An Iron Man and Spider-Man hat looked back at him. Peter's grin stretched from ear to ear as they stood.

"Thanks Ned," Peter said in genuine gratitude. That was just what he was looking for.

"Oh, it's nothing. Certainly not anything worth a chocolate bar," Ned added as a side-comment, and at the mere mention of food Peter's stomach rumbled. They hadn't had lunch, and the clock was nearing 1 in the afternoon.

"I hear you, Ned," Peter nodded.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later and the pair of friends left with quite a bit more than they'd arrived with. Ned carried a medium-sized, yellow gift bag with a "congrats" balloon trailing after him. Inside was the beanies, a bar of chocolate for Pepper, and a stuffed animal blanket thing that looked like a monkey and Ned had insisted on. Peter was carrying three bottles of Pepsi, two candy-bars, and two small bags of chips. Even with just the few things they'd gotten Peter's wallet was significantly lighter. That wasn't very big of a deal, however, and Peter was glad he'd brought it. Not to mention he was fairly certain Tony would be glad for the drink.

Peter and Ned somehow managed not to get lost on their way back to the waiting room, a miracle, and had just sat down when the door opened and a familiar figure stepped out with a broad, yet tired, grin on his face. Tony didn't even have to say anything and the pair of boys were leaping from their seats.

"Pepper gave birth, and the baby is perfectly healthy," Tony informed.

"Is it a boy or a girl?" Peter replied immediately. It'd been itching at him since the moment he and Ned had stepped into the gift shop. Tony only grinned conspiratorially and made a 'follow me' motion with his hand. A glare was sent Tony's way but the teens followed anyway.

The lights in Pepper's room had been dimmed. In the bed still laid Pepper herself. However, there was something new. Peter could hear quiet breathing from the figure curled up against Pepper's chest. Pepper herself looked absolutely exhausted but was looking down at the adorable bundle with pure adoration on her face. Her gaze only moved when they walked in.

"Hey boys," She greeted.

"Isn't she adorable?" Asked Pepper with a cheeky grin that Peter couldn't help but copy.

* * *

**AN: So uh, have fun with this! I'm thinking of ending it here, so let me know if you want more!**


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